Bikes you've been disappointed with

This sort of tallies with my rose tinted memory of local lads with
bikes when I was dragged up in rural Buckinghamshire.

The order of the day were 250 RD's and KH's. Brit bikes generally were
a rarity to be seen, for youngsters or old cunts.

The one exception was a lad who sold his Jap 2 stroke for a Norton 250
of some description. I never saw it up close, but do recall it was
dark green. Same lad later went on to knob one of my mate's sisters,
and drove a Lotus (not the Elan, the other, weird bread van shaped job
with a Renault engine, the name of which has completely evaporated from
my coffee addled brain).


--
Dan L

Too much time to think, too little to do.


http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/

2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i (It's big, and it's black)
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr (Gone, but not forgotten)

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6/7/8)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

Same with my old 1100 Zephyr.

**** it was a lardy old barge, but I loved that bike.

I haven't "bonded" with the Sprint in anything like the same way.

--
Dan L

Too much time to think, too little to do.


http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/

2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i (It's big, and it's black)
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr (Gone, but not forgotten)

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6/7/8)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

Lotus Europa, I had one of the Renault engined ones in JPS black/gold -
FXF 70H where are you now?

 

That's the badger

--
Dan L

Too much time to think, too little to do.


http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/

2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i (It's big, and it's black)
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr (Gone, but not forgotten)

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6/7/8)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

It may come as no surprise for you to learn I still have a 1983 tax
disc from it. I got the number wrong, it was FXF 67H and it hasn't been
taxed since 1993.

 

Heh, colour me not surprised.

For some odd reason the expired tax disc from my old zephyr currently
lives at the side of my desk.

--
Dan L

Too much time to think, too little to do.


http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/

2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i (It's big, and it's black)
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr (Gone, but not forgotten)

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6/7/8)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

In my defence I was breaking my neck for a crap at the time, hence the
lack of attention to netiquette.

Holiday going well?

--
Dan L

Too much time to think, too little to do.


http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/

2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i (It's big, and it's black)
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr (Gone, but not forgotten)

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6/7/8)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

Sensible policies all round really

Christ, back at work, top man.
Have fun on t'island


--
Dan L

Too much time to think, too little to do.


http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/

2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i (It's big, and it's black)
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr (Gone, but not forgotten)

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6/7/8)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

Well, not exactly a disappointment, but my R1 didn't live up to my
expectations. It's fast but doesn't really feel it; and there's a lack
of bottom-end oomph which really showed up on a trackday. Handling
is... well, it's much lighter than my old TLR but the bike doesn't
feel as chuckable as my Aprilia. It also feels a bit bulky compared to
both the TLR and especially the Aprilia.

I do have a sneaking suspicion that part of the 'handling' that I
don't like is really just an illusion caused by its ergonomics - I'm
coming to the conclusion that I prefer higher, closer handlebars than
modern(ish) sprotsbikes have.

Brakes are good and it looks gorgeous. I don't really like the noise
of inline fours (the R1 produces a particularly irritating 'blart'
from the airbox at certain revs) but after watching all three Mad Max
movies recently, I kind of began to enjoy it a bit more.

I'd be reluctant to sell it, but I've come close once or twice.

 

Grief, I had you down as much older than that. 50 at least.

 

Same reason I sold the one I had? Didn't realise they were
appreciating and would approach 'unaffordableness'?

As much as I enjoyed my 400 (when 17) and had loads of fun on it etc,
I still don't think it's worth the entry price to go back.

I tried it in the late 90s and for some reason riding the bike I had
at 17 when I was in my mid 30s didn't magically move me back by 17 or
so years, who'd have believed it?

 

Actually, I can't think of a bike that I've been disappointed by that
I've ridden. I've been disappointed by bikes I've bought (but only
because I missed flaws or allowed my enthusiasm to let me pay too
much.)

I suspect that if I every ride a Jota it will dissapoint and the same
applies to a Montjuic. Apart from that I can't think of any bike I'd
want to ride that I haven't really.

 

It certainly applied to the Monty I rode. POS.

 

I have everyone down as "around my age" until such times as I find out
or meet them.

I'm mildly surprised that Phil is a bit younger than me, though.

 

And much less boring in real life. Or so I'm told.

Phil